London bombs: 'Thousand suffering'

More than 1,000 people caught up in last summer's London bombings are likely to be be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, it has been revealed.

A team of NHS psychologists is trying to track down those who need help, many of whom may not yet have developed full symptoms.

Sufferers could include witnesses, the bereaved, and members of the emergency services as well as those who were physically injured.

The NHS Trauma Response Team was set up to identify and offer treatment to anyone psychologically damaged by the July 7 suicide attacks on the London Underground and bus network.

A total of 52 innocent people lost their lives in Britain's worst terrorist outrage carried out by four suicide bombers.

By the end of January, the response team had contacted 395 people using a 10-item trauma questionnaire delivered by post or telephone.

People were asked if they had suffered certain experiences during the past week, including "upsetting dreams about the event" or "acting or feeling as though the event were happening again".

Of those screened, 117 have been referred to psychological treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

But psychologist Mary Robertson, a member of the steering group overseeing the project, believes far more people must be affected.

'1,120 affected'

She calculates that around 1,120 of the estimated 4,000 people caught up in the bombings are likely to have developed PTSD, based on previous research.

Attempts to identify more trauma sufferers are being made by using police witness lists and by working with occupational health departments, the Health Protection Agency, the NHS Direct helpline, GPs, accident and emergency departments and the media.

Ms Robertson told The Psychologist magazine, published by the British Psychological Society: "This is something new that will be evaluated so that we can learn how best to respond to mental health needs in the event of future major incidents."

Two other psychologists are seeking people with memories of the bombings who are willing to share their experiences via an on-line questionnaire.

Dr Christopher Cocking and Dr John Drury, from the University of Sussex, are conducting a three year study examining crowd behaviour during emergencies.

"The research takes the premise that current crowd control models used by emergency planners are flawed in that they assume that large crowds of people are unthinking and prone to panic, and therefore cannot be trusted during any emergencies," said Dr Cocking.

It is hoped the research could lead to improved methods of controlling crowds.